Mechanical brake.



PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905.

C. G. SKILES.

MECHANICAL BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

31 weufoz No. 800,502. PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905.

'0. G. SKILES.

MECHANICAL BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

31 wawfoz 13 1 tmzoozo CHARLES G. SKILES, OF MASONTOWVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANICAL BRAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed July 24, 1905. Serial No. 271,039.

T 0 (old whom, it nut/y concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES G. SKILns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Masontown, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Brakes for finding-Drums; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

For operating what is known as the slope or drift car in mining a hoisting-drum is employed. The drum-cable is connected to the car and its descent regulated by a strap-brake, usually applied to a pulley on the brake-shaft. This form of brake has been found unreliable and objectionable in controlling the unwinding of the cable.

My invention is directed to a brake for controlling the cable, and the distinguishing 'feature of my invention is the application of brake-pressure direct upon the coils of the cable at the upper side of the drum, so that while the brake-pressure is sustained by the drum-shaft the cable is under the yielding pressure of the brake direct upon the coils at the point of the uncoiling of the cable, whereby its coils are kept even on the drum, the speed of the descent of the car controlled with safety, and the coils are prevented from accidental displacement from the drum.

The following description, read in connection with the accompanying drawings, will enable any person skilled in controlling hoisting mechanism to understand my invention and to practice it in the form in which I prefer to employ it.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a View in perspective of a windingdrum brake embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalsection showing the brake device applied upon the cable-coils at the upper part of the drum to control and regulate its unwinding speed and to keep the coils even. Fig. 3 is an identical view showing the brake device lifted to release the pressure on the cable-coils in the hoisting operation. Fig. 4c is a transverse section on the line 4: of Fig. 2, showing the brake in action on the drum-coils. Fig. 5 is a bottom view showing theconical brake-rolls in their reverse relation to each other.

The winding-drum 2 is fixed on a powerdriven shaft 3, mounted in standards 4 on a suitable frame. WVithin guides 5 5 of the standards is mounted a spring-sustained follower 6, preferably in parallelism with the axis of the winding-drum and adapted for vertical movement in said guides above the drum.

A pair of rolls 7 7 are mounted on the under side of the follower, parallel with the axis of the drum and preferably on each side ofa line drawn vertically through said axis, so that each roll will stand across the coils of the cable 8 on the drum and be pressed upon them with a brake action, and thereby regulate the unwinding speed of the drum. For this purpose the length of the rolls is less than the distance between the heads of the drum, so that there will be no contact of the rolls with the heads of the drum. To render the contact of the rolls uniform upon the coils of the cable on the drum as the cable is unwound, the rolls are preferably of conical form, the taper standing in opposite directions, and thereby compensate for the irregular surface of the coils in unwinding of the cable from one end of the drum to the other in opposite directions. This equalizing pressure of the rolls on the coils causes the cable to unwind evenly from the drum to keep the cable from accidentally jumping off the drum under rapid unwinding and renders the brake-pressure safely controllable under all conditions in the descent of the car. These advantages, while being due to the vertical pressure of the rolls upon the coils of the cable and to the conical form of and the relation of the rolls to each other, are enhanced by the capacity of the follower to automatically yield vertically and at each end, and thereby allow the brake-rolls to have a slight movement in pairs at either end in conforming to any irregularity in the coils of the cable and offer no impediment to the rotation of the drum.

A very effective yielding mounting for the brake device is an arched strap-spring, preferably a pair of such springs 9 9, coupled together in parallel relation, fixed at one end to the base-frame, and, curving upward, are fixed to the follower above the brake-rolls, so that the tension of the spring normally maintainsthe follower, with its brake-rolls,.free from pressure on the cable-coils; but when the follower is depressed the pressure is rendered effective on the coils, because they present a solid body on the drum.

As the springs constantly tend to lift the follower, I provide controllable means connected to the follower and to the under side of the overhanging end of the spring for depressing the follower and maintaining its brake-surface in contact with the coils of the cable on the drum. The connections shown for this purpose consist of a hand-lever 10, arranged to engage the teeth of a rack 11 and connected by a link 12 to a bell-crank lever 13, which, by means of an intcrnilediate lever 14 and a link 15, is connected to a yoke 16, connected to and depending from the follower. These connections are provided to permit an easy movement to the hand-lever and convert the horizontal pulling action of the lever into a downward pulling action upon the follower. Couplings 17 connect the pair of springs, and these couplings, while forming stays for the separate springs, allow them to yield separately to conform to the vertical movements of each end of the follower in its guides and which end movement may be caused by the action of the brake on the irregular surface of the cable-coils in unwinding.

I prefer to have the rack-teeth stand diagonal to give security to the engagement of the lever. As a means for adjusting the pressure of the follower-brake upon the cable-coils I provide a yoke 18, connecting the link 15 and the spring-plates, and by nuts I9 on the upper ends of the yoke-arms cause the lever to pull with greater or less force upon the overhanging arms of the spring, and therefore upon the brake.

Any suitable brake-surface may be fastened to the follower; but I prefer the pair of rolls acting with a rolling contact upon the rough surface of the cable-coils, and I prefer to mount the rolls so that they will be seated in concave bearings 20, which may be leather, so that the brake action is a rolling surface, preventing wear of the cable and giving a safe binding action thereon. The ends of the springs and the roll-bearings are suitably secured to the follower. I prefer to arrange the spring-plates and the lever connections in a line at right angles to and mediately with the length of the drum, and it will be understood that the power-driven shaft operates the drum to raise and to lower the car.

I claim 1. The combination with a winding-drum and its cable, a follower having a brake-surface, and a plate-spring fixed at one end and having its free end overhanging the windingdrum and carrying the follower, and means whereby force is applied to the free end of said spring to cause the follower to engage under pressure the coils of the cable as they are being unwound from the drum and as the diameter of the drum is being reduced.

2. In combination, a' winding-drum and its cable, a spring-sustained follower, a pair of rolls mounted upon said follower constituting a brake-surface adapted to engage under pressure the coils of the cable on the drum, and m cans for effecting and maintainingsueh pressure engagement.

In combination, a winding-drum and its cable, a follower mounted in vertical guides, a pair of rolls each of conical form mounted upon said follower, the taper of each roll in opposite directions and said rolls constituting a brake-surface adapted to engage under pressure the coils of the cable on the drum, and means whereby such engagement is effected and maintained.

4. The combination of a winding-drum includingits cable, a follower mounted in guides in vertical alinement with the axis of the drum and adapted to engage under pressure the coils at the upper side of the drum, means for yieldingl y sustaining the follower with freedom for vertical movement at each end of the brake, to conform to the longitudinal surface of the coils on the drum in unwinding the cable, and means whereby the brake is maintained under pressure upon the cable-coils.

5. The combination with a winding-drum I and its cable, a brake device, a plate-spring j carrying the brake device in overhanging relation to the drum, and means connecting the 1 overhanging end of said plate-spring where- 1 by the force of pressure of the brake may be spring connected to normally maintain the brake out of engagement with the cable-coils, and controllable means connected to the brake for applying it under pressure upon the cablecoils at the upper part of the drum.

7. In a winding-drum brake including the drum and its cable, a follower mounted in guides above the drum, a brake device carried by the follower to engage the cable-coils at the top of the drum, a curved plate-spring fixed at one end its other end overhanging the drum and connected to and sustaining the follower, and lever-controlled connections for the spring whereby power is applied to the overhanging end of said plate-spring to maintain the brake under pressure upon the cablecoils.

8. In a winding-drum brake including the drum and its cable, a follower mounted above the drum, a brake device carried by the follower to engage the cable-coils at the top of the drum, a support for the follower comprising a pair of curved plate-springs one end of each fixed, their other ends overhanging the drum and connected to the follower, transverse stays coupling the spring-plates between their ends, whereby each end of the brake is adapted for independent vertical IIO movement, and lever connections for the overhanging ends of the coupled springs.

9. A winding-drum and its cable, in combination with a follower mounted above the drum, a brake device carried by the follower to engage the cable-coils at the top of the drum, a support of the follower comprising a plate-spring fixed at one end its other end overhanging the drum and connected to and sustaining the follower, and lever connections with the overhanging end of the spring for effecting and maintaining the engagement of the brake with the cablecoils.

10. For controlling the winding-drum of a hoisting-machine, the combination of the drum and its cable, a follower supplementing the drum and adapted to engage the cable on the drum, and means whereby the follower is caused to have an increasing brake function upon the coils of the cable as the drum decreases in diameter by the unwinding of the coils.

11. The combination with a winding-drum and its cable, a follower adapted to engage with a brake function the cable-coils at the upper part of the drum, a support for the follower comprising an arched plate-spring fixed at one end its other end connected to the follower, a lever, and connections whereby it is connected both to the follower and to the overhanging end of the arched spring-plate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

UHARLES G. SKILES. Witnesses:

A. E. H. JoHNsoN, ANNE B. JoHNsoN. 

